Futurus Redemptor
by blucougar57
Summary: People can use their lives to seek either redemption or oblivion, but their time to do so is finite. For Jack Harkness, it's just not that simple.
1. A Grim Find

"C'mon! Hurry up, you two!"

Rory Williams managed to glare at the offending individual leading the way along the corridor, but that was all. Even his wife, Amy, seemed to have no breath left with which to talk, and for her that was a true rarity. Not that he would have said that to her face. Ever.

"Bloody slow down, would you?" he managed to gasp finally. "You said you'd put all the pirates to sleep. What's the rush?"

The Doctor looked more than a little put-out, but slowed down regardless, much to the relief of his companions.

"But I like running. It's exhilarating. Isn't it?"

Amy snorted.

"Yeah, when we're being chased by Daleks or whatever, and if we stop running we're _dead_. Now? Not so much."

"Fine, then," the Doctor huffed. "We'll walk at a nice, leisurely pace. I'm sure the pirates won't wake up and come after us..."

"Oh, knock it off," Amy retorted. "What are you, ten? Don't make me have to tell River about this when we see her next."

That shut him up, quite effectively, thank you.

"Remind me again what we're doing here?" Rory asked. He was starting to feel more than a little grumpy. Honestly, he didn't mind running around like a lunatic, if there was a point to it. Right now, there didn't seem to be a point.

"We're looking for someone," the Doctor told them. "Do you remember the village on Tangar? The one that had the problem with the space pirates?"

"I remember," Amy confirmed. "The pirates were going to take all the villagers to sell as slaves, but someone saved them."

"More specifically," the Doctor corrected, "someone traded themselves for the villagers. I promised the leader that I'd rescue that person and put an end to the pirates. I've already notified the Shadow Proclamation and the Judoon should be here any time now. We just need to find this mysterious saviour of children. All in all, a good day's..."

He came to such an abrupt halt that Amy and Rory both crashed into him.

"Oi!" Amy protested, but the Doctor appeared oblivious, his attention very firmly elsewhere.

"Oh no," he muttered. "No... No no no... Not here... It can't be you..."

"Doctor?" Amy asked. "What's wrong?"

Still he didn't answer, but instead shut his eyes and focused. Rory was about to try when the Doctor's eyes snapped open and he took off at a run. Exchanging weary looks, Amy and Rory took off after him.

* * *

><p>They caught up with him at the entrance to a darkened room that they could not see into. The Doctor stood there in silence, displaying the sort of frightening intensity he'd shown in the past when he'd had enough of playing around with a deadly enemy.<p>

"Doctor?" Amy asked again. "What's in there?"

"Not what," the Doctor said grimly. "Who."

He activated his sonic screwdriver, and the room suddenly flared bright with light.

"Oh my god," Amy whispered.

In the centre of the room, a man hung, suspended cruelly by chains around his wrists. He was naked, and his body was a testament to the abuse he must have suffered at the hands of the pirates.

"Rory, help me get him down," the Doctor said urgently, and Rory acquiesced without question.

"Who is he?" Amy asked softly as she watched her husband and her best friend lower the unfortunate man to the floor of the chamber.

"He's an old friend of mine," the Doctor answered. "His name is Jack, and he used to travel with me. Rory, over there, see that old leather wrist strap on the table?"

Rory looked, and grabbed the item in question.

"This? What is it?"

"It's the thing that's going to get us back to the TARDIS, if I can get it working again. Hard to believe it was actually left here. They can't possibly have known what it was. Either that, or they were using it to taunt him."

Rory and Amy watched breathlessly as the Doctor worked. He was still working at it when they all heard the unmistakable thump of heavy footfalls nearby.

"Pirates?" Rory wondered in a low, anxious whisper.

"No, Judoon," the Doctor muttered. "Got to hurry. If they find Jack here, they'll arrest him on sight."

"But why?" Amy asked. "He's a victim here, isn't he?"

"Not because of what he has or hasn't done, but because of what he is. I'll explain later. Right now, we need to get him back to the TARDIS, where he'll be safe." A moment later, his face lit up. "Ah ha!"

"That sounds promising," Rory said with a touch of hope. The Doctor grinned maniacally.

"Both of you, put your hands on the wrist strap." He shuffled a bit, and pulled Jack's limp form into his arms before laying his own hand on the strap and activating it.

* * *

><p>"Bloody hell," Rory moaned as they all collapsed in a heap on the floor of the TARDIS. "What was that?"<p>

"Vortex manipulator," the Doctor answered. "Time travel and teleportation without the benefit of a space ship."

"Now I think I know what apparating feels like," Amy groaned.

Another moan caught their attention, but it didn't come from the Doctor, or Rory.

"Jack?" the Doctor asked softly as he continued to cradle the immortal man in his arms. "Can you hear me, old friend?"

Jack coughed weakly, and his eyes flickered open.

"Who are you calling old?"

The Doctor smiled fondly.

"Well, you have outstripped me in years. How old are you now?"

Another cough, and this time blood trickled from a corner of Jack's mouth.

"Lost count some time after three thousand. Doctor...? Where are we?"

The affectionate smile on the Doctor's face faded a little.

"We're safe in the TARDIS, Jack."

"Oh. Thought I heard her voice, but she sounds different. So do you, come to think of it."

A chill swept down through the Doctor.

"You can't see, can you?"

Jack tries to smile, but it came out as more of a bloodied grimace.

"Not a thing. Haven't been able to see for, oh, at least a couple of months now. I gave them the slip a few too many times. I don't think they liked it."

"The pirates, you mean?"

"No, the ones that the pirates are working for."

Jack coughed again, and again blood spilt from his mouth.

"All right," the Doctor murmured. "Enough talk. Rory, help me carry him to the med room."

* * *

><p>Minutes later, Amy found herself the designated comforter while Rory and the Doctor dashed around, doing what they could for the injured man.<p>

"I'm Amy Pond," she introduced herself, taking the liberty of clasping Jack's hand lightly in hers so that he needn't be confused about where she was. "Apparently the latest in a rather long line of travelling companions."

Jack half-laughed, half-coughed.

"Don't be offended. He's very picky about who he travels with. Trust me, I speak from experience. I nearly got jettisoned into the vortex at least half a dozen times before he finally accepted me."

"So you did travel with him, then?"

"Oh, yeah. It wasn't for long, but it was brilliant."

Amy smiled fondly.

"I know."

"What about the other guy with the sexy voice? Who is he?"

Amy smirked, both at Jack's unapologetic brashness and at the deep blush that spread across Rory's cheeks.

"That's Rory, my husband."

If anything, Jack actually managed to look turned on by that piece of news.

"You're taking on husband and wife pairs now, Doctor? Kinky."

"What can I say?" the Doctor replied with a cheeky grin. "I like a challenge."

Jack, who had fully expected some sort of reprimand, gave a blinding grin.

"Oh, I think I'm gonna like this regeneration."

"All right, Captain," the Doctor said lightly, though Jack could almost hear the smile in his voice. "You need to rest."

"There's a quicker way for me to heal," Jack suggested lightly.

"Not an acceptable option," the Doctor admonished him. "You'll have all the time you need to heal right here on the TARDIS. When you've had time to rest, you can tell us who it was who was in charge of the pirates."

"It was the Chulans," Jack answered tiredly as the Doctor, Amy and Rory all went to leave. "Specifically, one of the lesser royal families."

The Doctor stared back at Jack with a frown.

"Why would a Chulan Royal family want to do this to you?"

A bitter smile touched Jack's lips.

"Let's just say that old sins finally caught up with me."

The Doctor had a niggling feeling he should understand what Jack was talking about, but it so far eluded him. With a last murmured instruction to rest, the Doctor left Jack alone in the TARDIS' med bay.

* * *

><p>"I've never seen injuries like that," Rory said later, when he and Amy sat in the kitchen with a rapidly cooling pot of tea between them. "I mean, I saw people badly hurt, but that was mostly from car accidents, and the like. I've never seen anyone hurt like he's been hurt, and it be from someone having done it deliberately."<p>

"I know," Amy murmured. "I can't imagine what it must have been like, to be tortured like that. I don't even want to try. And the way the Doctor reacted... It was like there was something between them, like the Doctor thought he owed him for some reason."

"I do owe him."

Rory and Amy looked up questioningly as the Doctor joined them.

"How do you mean?" Amy asked. The Doctor watched them with a sombre expression that looked wrong on his too-young face.

"I've explained to you both about regeneration."

It wasn't a question, and they responded only with silent nods.

"Okay. I first met Jack in my eighth regeneration. He was running a con in World War II London, at the height of the Blitz. The silly fool nearly wiped out humanity with his stupidity, but he surprised me and that is not easy to do. There were a couple of moments when he could have run and left me and Rose to who knows what fate, but he didn't. Even when it could have cost him his life, he didn't run away and loved him for that. I took him on-board, and he proved himself again and again... So many times over, right up until Satellite Five."

"And what happened on Satellite Five?" Rory prompted.

"Captain Jack Harkness died, facing down a squad of Daleks."

"Well," Amy said with a soft huff of surprise, "he's looking pretty good for a dead bloke."

"How's he alive, then, if he died?" Rory asked. "Or did we somehow pick up a version of him from before that happened?"

"If we had, he wouldn't have known me at all," the Doctor said. "No, what happened to Jack was impossible. Rose... my other companion at the time... opened up the heart of the TARDIS. She absorbed the power of the time vortex and she brought Jack back to life." The Doctor smiled sadly and shook his head. "All that power, and her thoughts were still for everyone else. The only problem was that she gave him too much. In her desire to save Jack, she made him a fixed point in time and space."

"What's that?" Amy asked. "What does it mean?"

"It means he never changes," Rory answered before the Doctor could. "He'll never change, never get old, never die. He's immortal, isn't he?"

"As close to immortal as any creature in this universe could hope to be," the Doctor confirmed. "You're close, but not exactly right. He will age, albeit very slowly. He does die, but the vortex brings him back to life every time, no matter how death occurs, and he will die for good one day, but that will be a long time into his personal future."

"You've seen it, haven't you?" Rory asked. "His final death? You've seen him die for the last time."

"Yes, but you can't tell him that." The Doctor paused and then added ruefully, "Spoilers."

"It's not as fantastic as it sounds, is it?" Amy said. "Living for so long?"

"No," the Doctor agreed. "It's not, and I can't undo it. Jack will live on, for far longer than any living being in this universe. Even me."

"Doctor," Rory said tentatively, "these Chulans... How likely is it that they'll be willing to just let Jack go? Assuming they know he can't die?"

The Doctor's expression told them the answer to that question well before he actually spoke aloud.

"They're an unforgiving race. If Jack has wronged one of them, they will never give up hunting for him. Especially if they know about his immortality. Oh, Jack, what did you do?"

* * *

><p><em>to be continued...<em>


	2. An Unhappy Tale

In the end, the Doctor left the TARDIS in the vortex, reasoning that it was the only place where they could be sure that no one could reach them. The Doctor chose purposefully not to mention how he, Rose and Jack had ended up on Satellite Five to begin with, so long ago now. Once the TARDIS was settled into a stable flight pattern, the Doctor left Amy and Rory to their own devices, and went to sit with Jack.

The immortal was awake, and reacted by turning his head when the Doctor came in.

"You're supposed to be resting," the Doctor chided him gently.

"I am," Jack protested. "You never said anything about sleeping. Although, I won't object if you want to cosy up. Maybe offer a little physical comfort?"

The Doctor snorted as he sat carefully on the edge of the bed.

"That would be fun, explaining that to River."

"You have a girlfriend?" Jack asked in amusement.

"Well, she's my friend and yes, she happens to be a girl."

"Mm. Wouldn't say no to a threesome."

"Jack." The Doctor reached over and stroked his fingers lightly down the side of Jack's face. All his questions and concerns were answered when Jack flinched violently at the contact. "You don't need to pretend in front of me."

Jack's cheerful stoicism crumbled, but he didn't break down, either. He just looked incredibly sad and tired all of a sudden.

"They didn't do anything to me that hasn't been done before... Well, mostly anything. Anyway, it was worth it to guarantee the safety of those villagers."

"How about you tell me what happened?"

"Not much to tell. I was on Tangar, looking to fill in some time, and I got wind of a crew of pirates who were dealing in the slave trade. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't, not on my own. As a last ditch effort, I offered myself to the pirates in exchange for leaving the villagers alone."

"Are you trying to tell me that they were willing to trade an entire village full of people for one man? No offence, Jack, but you don't fetch that high a price."

Jack smiled bitterly.

"It wasn't about the price. Those pirates weren't operating independently."

"Mm, and now we're back to the Chulans."

"Not the whole race. Just one family."

"Right, one of the lesser Royals, you said. So, what did you do to this one family that they considered you a worthwhile trade?"

"Remember two regenerations ago? World War II, the London Blitz?"

And suddenly, the Doctor remembered what had earlier eluded him.

"Your ship. It was a Chula warship, and you mentioned acquiring it less than honestly."

Jack snorted.

"I conned a Chulan princess and stole the family's only warship. Turns out the Chulan Council made a declaration of war not long after, and every family was expected to offer their ships to the cause. Because the N'Triz had no ship to present, they were humiliated and publicly disgraced. They left Chula, used their family fortune to recruit the pirates and apparently have been looking for me ever since. They took up slave trading as a means to satisfy the pirates and keep the profits flowing."

The Doctor regarded Jack thoughtfully.

"Do they know you can't die?"

"Yes. They discovered that after about a week. One of Princess Jayana's brothers got a little over-enthusiastic and killed me. I woke up to the old man yelling at him for ruining their revenge. When they realised what was happening, they really went to town on me. That was when I started making genuine attempts to escape. I almost made it on my fifth try, and that was when they took my sight."

"How long, do you think, before your eyes will heal?"

Jack was silent for a long moment, and that silence sent chills through the Doctor.

"There's nothing wrong with my eyes, Doctor. They haven't been damaged."

"But then how...? Oh... No..."

"Nanogenes," Jack said bleakly. "Introduced into my bloodstream and specially programmed to take away my sight. Doesn't matter how many times I die, they just reset every time I come back to life. There's no way to get them out, and no way to reprogram them. I'm blind, Doctor. I'm blind forever. Ain't karma a bitch?"

"No," the Doctor said heatedly. "Not forever. There must be a way to reverse this, and get the nanogenes out of you. I'll find a way, Jack. I swear it."

"Hey," Jack said softly, "I'm okay with it. I really am. It might seem like rough justice..."

"There is nothing just about this," the Doctor insisted. "There is nothing you've done that could ever justify this."

Jack was silent for a while, and the Doctor was just starting to wonder whether he'd dozed off when he spoke again in that same unnaturally subdued voice.

"That day that I saw you in that spaceport bar, when you... I mean, the previous you... introduced me to Alonso."

"Mm?"

"You obviously knew I was alone again. Did you know why?"

"You mean, did I know about the 4 5 6? Yes, I did, and I knew what you had to do to stop them. I won't stand in judgement over you, Jack. I have no right. You know what I did to stop the Time War... for all the good it did the universe. I won't condemn you for the death of your grandson, but I will sympathise with you, if you'll let me."

A shudder passed through Jack.

"You'd be pretty much the only one who isn't holding it against me."

Slowly, the Doctor laid one hand on top of Jack's head, and his fingertips played lightly with the other man's hair. It badly needed a wash, but that could wait.

"Don't sell yourself short, Jack. There are more people who care about you than you realise, who aren't holding what you had to do against you."

Jack responded to that with stubborn silence. Finally, the Doctor conceded.

"All right. We'll leave that alone for now. Try and rest, Jack. For me, if not for yourself."

Jack offered a cheeky grin that suddenly seemed very brittle to the Doctor.

"What do I get in return?"

The Doctor considered that for just a moment before leaning down and claiming Jack's lips in a chaste but lingering kiss.

"How's that?" he asked when he finally broke away. Jack sighed and visibly settled.

"Definitely liking this new regeneration."

* * *

><p>"I thought we were staying in the vortex while Jack recovered," Rory said as he and Amy emerged into the control room to find the Doctor making his way around the centre column, initiating the sequence to land.<p>

"I need to pay a visit to an old friend," the Doctor answered. "I want to know just how dangerous it would be for Jack to be back on Earth because, frankly, Earth is really the only safe place to hide him from the Chulan family that's after him."

"Why wouldn't he be safe?" Amy wondered. "Are you saying there are people on Earth who might want to hurt him?"

The Doctor once again looked far too serious for his young face.

"Something happened on Earth, something very bad. We missed it because we were... well, we were somewhere else. Or somewhen else. Anyway, something bad happened and Jack saved the planet, but people died. Now, he's not to blame. He did all that he could, and he made some very hard decisions that saved a lot of children's lives, decisions that no one else would have been able to make, but people still died and two of the victims were very special to Jack. One was his lover, and another was his grandson."

"And you want to know whether there's anyone on Earth who still holds him responsible," Amy concluded.

"Specifically," the Doctor corrected, "I want to know if there's anyone in positions of authority who still holds him responsible. I won't take him back to Earth, only to for him to be arrested. He doesn't deserve it, especially after everything he's been through."

"Who are you going to see?" Rory wondered curiously.

"Someone who'll know whether there's a price on Jack's head, and someone who I hope won't care if there is."

* * *

><p>When Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart opened his door to find a young-looking man with an impossibly wide grin, a ridiculous mop of hair and eyes that reflected the knowledge of the universe, he didn't need to ask who he was.<p>

"Hello, Doctor," he said in as bland a voice as ever. The Doctor's face fell.

"How did you know it was me? How do you lot always know?"

The Brigadier smiled wryly.

"Because, Doctor, you are a unique individual. Also, the TARDIS is something of a give-away."

"Ah," the Doctor said, glancing back over his shoulder at his beloved time ship. "Jack said the same thing, once. Maybe I should try and fix that chameleon circuit."

"Would you care to come in, Doctor?" the Brigadier asked with admirable patience. And suddenly grinning again, the Doctor allowed himself to ushered inside.

"You've come at a rather fortuitous moment," the Brigadier said. "I have some guests who might like to see you."

He led the way into the living room, to where some familiar faces waited.

"Sarah Jane!" the Doctor cried out in delight. "Martha! And Mickey Smith! The last time I saw the two of you, you were chasing Sontarans."

"Being chased _by_ Sontarans, more like it," Mickey retorted. "You saved our bacon. Never did get a chance to say thank you for that. All right, boss?"

"You've regenerated again," Sarah Jane pointed out unnecessarily, and somewhat disapprovingly. The Doctor smiled easily as he flopped into a vacant chair.

"Had to happen eventually. You all know how jeopardy friendly I am. Anyway, I'm glad you're all here. It saves me from having to traipse all over the place, looking for you. I need some answers. First of all, Torchwood."

"Disbanded," the Brigadier answered. "The Queen made the decision a year after the failed alien incursion. You do know about that, I assume?"

"The 4 5 6? Yes, I know. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."

"It was thwarted," the Brigadier murmured. "Thanks primarily to Torchwood."

"What about the people?" the Doctor pressed. "Jack and his off-siders. What about them?"

"One of them died during the incursion," Martha spoke up, and the sadness in her voice and on her face was tangible. "Ianto Jones, his name was. He was special to Jack, if you know what I mean. Losing him really hit Jack hard. Gwen survived. The Queen granted her immunity against the fall-out from the Government after the fact. She was living up near Swansea, somewhere, for a while, but now she's back in Cardiff. Officially, she's back at her old job with the Cardiff police, but I know for a fact that she's been collaborating with UNIT. As for Jack, no one knows where he is. There are a few rumours, but I think he left the planet some time after it all happened."

"Just as well, too," the Brigadier remarked. "After what he did, there are no shortage of people who would like to see him suffer."

"And what did he do?" the Doctor asked in a low, dangerous voice. The Brigadier heard the all-too-familiar threat, and spoke in an equally threatening tone.

"What he did, Doctor, was to save this world from itself, and to do it he had to make an abhorrent choice. Now, if you intend to hold him accountable for that, you'll damn well have to go through me to do it."

The Doctor looked around at the small group intently.

"Well? Is that how you all feel?"

"Absolutely," Sarah Jane confirmed, speaking for all of them. An instant later, the Doctor nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. I'll let you come with me, then."

"Where?" Martha asked, even as the Doctor started from the room and his ex-companions all automatically followed. The Doctor flashed them a grin over his shoulder.

"Into the TARDIS, to see Jack."

* * *

><p><em>to be continued...<em>


	3. Plans in the Making

A/N: I would like to make one thing perfectly clear before we go any further. This story is not going to have any sort of blossoming romance between Jack and Eleven. I simply think that the current Doctor would have far fewer issues in showing Jack a little much-needed and deserved affection than his previous incarnation. Whether it be an occasional kiss or a cuddle, it's still purely platonic and will remain so. Sorry to anyone who might have been getting their hopes up, but I am not inclined to writing Doctor/Jack pairings, and it definitely isn't going to happen in this story.

* * *

><p>"You weren't going to tell us you had him with you, were you?" Martha said with a hint of disappointment. The Doctor was unapologetic in his confession.<p>

"Absolutely not, not if you were all hostile towards him. My Jack has been through enough without having to put up with condemnation from the very people who should be grateful that he was willing to do what nobody could."

In amongst the Doctor's indignation, one phrase stood struck all of them, but it was Mickey who spoke up.

"_Your_ Jack? Just when did he become _your_ Jack?"

The Doctor hesitated, and looked almost sheepish for just a brief moment.

"Did I say that?"

"Yes," the Brigadier answered bluntly. "You did."

The Doctor twiddled his fingers briefly before whirling around to face a door that the companions could have all sworn had not been there even seconds earlier.

"Here we are. The med room."

"The med room?" Martha echoed apprehensively. "What's happened to him?"

"I'll explain later. For now, just don't pounce on him, and try to keep the volume down. I imagine his hearing might be a little sensitive."

Before any more questions could be forthcoming, the Doctor led the way inside.

* * *

><p>Despite instructions to the contrary, Martha couldn't stop herself from rushing to the bedside.<p>

"Jack! God, look at you! What happened?"

Jack looked momentarily startled at the unexpected voice, and then threw a half-hearted glare in the direction that he hoped the Doctor was in.

"I thought we weren't going back to Earth."

"We couldn't stay in the vortex forever," the Doctor replied gently. "Besides, Earth is probably the safest place for you right now."

The glare vanished, replaced by a hurt look that Jack couldn't suppress.

"You want me off the TARDIS."

Sighing in mild frustration, the Doctor walked over and, to the astonishment of all present, he placed a soft kiss on Jack's lips.

"No, I don't. If it was entirely up to me, I'd keep you here for as long as I possibly could. No, I brought you back to Earth because I wanted to help you see that not everyone hates you as much as you hate yourself right now. I'm not leaving you here, Jack. Not permanently. Not unless you want me to."

Chastened, Jack returned his attention to Martha.

"Martha Jones, voice of a nightingale," he murmured as she hugged him gently.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Martha said. "We all are."

Jack pulled back out of her embrace, confusion and consternation on his face.

"We? Who else is here?"

His question was met with silence until Martha spoke in dismay.

"You can't see, can you?"

Jack didn't even crack a smile, let alone a joke.

"Not a thing, sweetheart. Now, can someone please tell me who else is here?"

"Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Sarah Jane Smith and Mickey Smith," the Brigadier answered as he, too, approached the bed. Jack's breath caught and the momentarily startled look in his face faded to one of tired resignation.

"Brigadier. I won't resist if you're here to arrest me."

The Brigadier snorted loudly and derisively.

"Don't be a fool boy, boy. For starters, the Doctor would never have let me into the TARDIS if I had any such intention. Secondly, I'm retired. I have no intention of doing their dirty work for them. Thirdly, you deserve to be lauded, not vilified. And yes, we all know what you had to do. You had to make an impossible choice. Believe me when I tell that no one here is going to condemn you for it."

"He's right, Jack," Sarah Jane said. "You had no time, and an impossible decision."

Jack turned his face away from the voices.

"You wouldn't be so forgiving if it had been your son who had to be the sacrificial lamb. My daughter hates me for what I did, and I don't blame her. She was right. I am dangerous. So many people are dead because of me."

"I can't say how I might have reacted if it had been Luke," Sarah Jane admitted quietly. "You may be right. I might not have been quite so forgiving. But there if a difference between us and your daughter, Jack. We've all travelled with the Doctor. We've all seen the sacrifices he's made. We each have had to make sacrifices for the greater good. All of us here understand that sometimes, unconscionable choices have to be made."

"Tell us something, lad," the Brigadier said. "What could you have done that might have saved your grandson's life?"

"Nothing," Jack admitted bitterly. "I couldn't substitute myself, or any other adult. Clem was the only adult the signal would have worked through, and I think the bastards knew it because they killed him. It had to be a child, and Stephen was the only one. I... I don't know what else I could have done!"

"You could have refused to sacrifice him," Martha offered. "You could have let Stephen live, but then you would have had to live with the guilt of losing ten percent of the world's children to those monsters. Do you think you'd hate yourself any less if that had happened?"

"No," Jack admitted. "Whatever happened, I was always going to lose. Stephen. Alice. Ianto..."

His voice cracked as he spoke Ianto's name, the utter futility of his lover's death hitting home with renewed force. At least when Tosh and Owen had died, it had not been completely pointless. Owen had died his final death protecting Cardiff and beyond from a potential nuclear disaster, and Tosh had died helping him to achieve that. Ianto's death had been needless and pointless.

"He loved you, Jack," Martha said softly. Her words broke what little control Jack still possessed.

"He said that... when he was dying... and I couldn't say it back to him. He died without hearing me say I loved him!"

"Do you really think he didn't know?" Mickey spoke up abruptly. "I hate to tell you this, but you aren't exactly subtle, Captain Cheesecake. If you loved him, I guarantee _everyone_ would have know about it, whether you realised it or not."

Tears worked their way out of the corners of Jack's sightless eyes.

"He knew. I got a second chance, and I didn't waste it, so I know he knew, but it doesn't change the fact that I didn't tell him when I should have... When he was dying in my arms."

"Jack, stop beating yourself up," the Doctor told him gently. "You really don't deserve it."

Jack lay still and silent. When he finally spoke again, it was in a voice that was so un-Jack-like that it had Mickey, Martha and the Doctor exchanging very worried looks.

"Thank you. All of you. I really appreciate the support. If you don't mind, though, I'm tired and I'd like to rest."

Martha leaned down and kissed him softly.

"We won't be far away if you need any of us."

Then she left with the others.

"You too, Doctor," Jack said quietly.

"Never could fool you," the Doctor said. "Jack... I brought them to see you because I want you to understand that not everyone is against you. You do still have friends who care deeply about you."

"I know. I appreciate it. I really do. But do you understand that it just isn't that easy?"

The Doctor stepped close enough to lay a hand gently on Jack's shoulder.

"Yes, I do, probably better than anyone you'll ever meet."

* * *

><p>The Doctor found his bevy of former companions waiting for him in the kitchen. They sat around a large table, joined by Amy and Rory, with a pot of tea between them.<p>

"Sit down, Doctor," the Brigadier said in a tone that was less an invitation and more of an order. "Now tell us, what's the verdict with the lad's sight?"

"It's not good," the Doctor admitted, and went on to explain about the nanogenes.

"So, even if he dies it won't help him to see again?" Martha asked in dismay.

"The nanogenes are programmed to reset his vision after each resurrection," the Doctor explained. "The only way to give Jack his sight back is to get the nanogenes out of him, and I don't know how."

"Don't you have something in the TARDIS that can do that?" Amy asked with a frown. Rory nodded.

"Yeah. The nanogenes are in his blood, aren't they? There are machines in hospitals that filter a person's blood to get rid of dangerous impurities. Can't we do that with Jack?"

"It's a good idea," the Doctor agreed, "and it might just have worked if we'd gotten to Jack fairly soon after the nanogenes were implanted. It's been too long now, though. They aren't just in his blood anymore. They're a part of him. It's all but impossible to separate them."

"What about reprogramming them?" Sarah Jane wondered. "Is that a possibility? Or disabling them altogether?"

"Jack seemed to think not," the Doctor mused, "but I'd rather investigate that for myself. There is one possibility, and that's where you lot come in. If I can track down the one responsible for doing this to him, then maybe I can find out how to reverse it."

"You wouldn't seriously consider taking Jack anywhere near those monsters again?" Amy asked in horror.

"No, of course not," the Doctor retorted, sound affronted at the very suggestion. "Don't be ridiculous. My previous regeneration might have been a bastard that had no qualms about putting Jack in danger, but I'm a different man. I won't put him at risk, not for any reason. No, what I want to know is if there is somewhere that Jack can stay, where he'll be safe. Specifically, is there somewhere he can stay where he'll have someone to take care of him? Someone who won't take no for an answer..."

Martha smiled wryly.

"I think I can make a reasonable suggestion."

* * *

><p>Jack awoke to the achingly familiar sensation of someone holding his hand and lightly stroking his forehead. For a split second he thought that it was Ianto. Then reality regained a foothold in his mind, and his heart broke anew at the bitter memory of his young lover's death.<p>

"Jack? Are you awake, sweetheart?"

His breath caught at the unexpected voice.

"Francine?"

Warm lips brushed his cheek, and he caught a whiff of the familiar perfume.

"That's right, honey. How are you feeling?"

He didn't answer. His mind locked and he found that he didn't know what to say. Surely Francine didn't know what he'd done if she was treating him so kindly. She was a mother. If she knew that he'd sacrificed an innocent child...

"I know what you had to do, baby, and I know you didn't do it lightly. I will always love you, no matter what."

He didn't want to understand, didn't want to accept it, but a deeper part of his soul craved the unconditional love being offered.

"Why don't you hate me?" he asked tremulously.

"Because you're family, Jack, and what happened was not your fault. You might not think it's that simple, but it is as far as I'm concerned. I know you, sweetheart, and I know you wouldn't do what you did if you'd had any other choice. I won't condemn you for making an impossible choice, not when I've seen people make so much worse decisions for far less noble reasons. Now, you listen to me. The Doctor has promised to do all he can to fix your eyes but he wants you to be safe, so this is what's going to happen. You're going to get up out of this bed, get dressed and come and stay with us while he does what he has to do. And before you even think about arguing, I will not take no for an answer."

Jack smiled weakly.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"No, you do not. You are going to do as you're told and let us take care of you. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Jack answered.

* * *

><p>An hour later, he was settled in a bed in the Jones household with all his needs being catered to, and then some. It was a luxury that he honestly believed he didn't deserve, but Francine refused to listen to any arguments. Just quietly, Jack revelled in being taken care of – something that he hadn't experienced since Ianto's death.<p>

As he sat up in the comfortable bed, with Tish sitting beside him and Francine puttering around and making sure that everything was fine, Jack had to admit – to himself, at least – that he liked being looked after. It hurt all the more because he truly believed he didn't deserve it.

"Where did you go, Jack?" Tish asked as she gently clasped his hand. "When you left Earth, where did you go?"

"To some of the best and worst places in the universe," he answered. "I wasn't looking for absolution. I can never have that. I just wanted to even out the score a little. I found them, you know. The 4-5-6. They're called the Plathnon."

"And what did you do when you found them?" Francine asked. Jack sighed heavily.

"Nothing. The ones that came to Earth were rogues, kind of like our drug dealers. They were a criminal minority among their own kind. The race... It wasn't their fault. I couldn't hold the entire race accountable for the actions of a few, so I let them be."

A hand alighted on his shoulder, and the Doctor's voice spoke gently, with pride.

"Even in your grief, you're still bigger on the inside."

Jack couldn't quite conceal his surprise at the unexpected voice.

"Doctor? I thought you'd left..."

"Not before seeing you, Jack. I'll be off soon, but I just wanted to see you settled before I left. I'm going to find a way to restore your sight, I promise. I'll be back in no more than a month."

"One month," Jack murmured. "I trust you, Doctor."

He did, possibly now more than ever. The Doctor smiled fondly.

"I won't betray that trust. Not again."

* * *

><p>"So, where do we start?" Rory wondered as they boarded the TARDIS. Mickey had joined them after much discussion with his wife and in-laws. Martha had wanted to go, but conceded that she was needed more by Jack, who was in no position to visit a doctor if he needed one. Despite his protestations that he was fine, it was painfully obvious that another effect of the nanogenes was a severe delay in his body's healing properties. The bruises, burns and lacerations that covered his body were proof of it.<p>

Secondly, given what they were potentially facing, Mickey was by far the more experienced soldier, despite Martha's year of subterfuge against the Master.

Thirdly, Mickey admitted to feeling a degree of loyalty towards Jack. Despite originally seeing him as a rival for Rose's affections, Mickey had come to respect Jack, and that respect had increased exponentially when Martha told him about Jack's immortality. Far from being envious, Mickey well understood the negatives and pitfalls; none of which were emphasized as much as they were right then, in Jack's current dilemma.

"First of all," the Doctor decided, "we head to Chula. They pioneered nanogene technology and they may be able to provide a solution without us ever having to find the family that's responsible."

"And how likely is that?" Mickey asked. The Doctor looked grim.

"Not very, but it's worth a shot."

"Doctor, have you thought about River?" Amy asked. "She might be able to help."

"Good idea. We'll collect her on the way. Hang on tight, we're on our way!"

* * *

><p><em>to be continued...<em>


End file.
